The story Grenade by Alan Gratz takes place in a rural part of Japan in the year of 1945. The world is on the brink of war, and many small villages are caught in the middle of it. This particular small village has been trained to fight until the death and even sacrifice their children. A group of small boys is being trained to fight, and they are each handed a grenade. They are told one grenade is used to kill an American soldier and the other is for themselves. The main character is a small boy named Hideki, who is around the age of twelve. He is smaller than the other boys and is constantly being picked on. He later comes to struggle greatly with choosing between right and wrong and life or death. While these struggles are going on, the perspective of the narrator switches over to an young American soldier, Ray Majors, who has recently been deployed on the island. His squadron arrives on the island with very little trouble, but that all changes when the two characters meet.

This read personally left me in shock after learning just how difficult and dangerous the two characters lifes were. Through the perspective of Hideki and Ray, we are brought up close and personal with the many hardships of the war; because of this perspective, we learn just as they do and can relate to the difficulties of their lives almost as if they are our own. This wild ride of a book will leave you dying for more like many others, as the two characters embark on their quest to survive the dangers and extreme cruelty of human nature. If you are seeking a thrilling and suspenceful book, Grenade by Alan Gratz is the story for you.